Pirated Version of Alibaba Book Makes an Appearance, Briefly, on Alibaba Site

Jack Ma, executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, looks up during a panel discussion held as part of the China Development Forum in Beijing, Saturday, March 19, 2016.
Photo:
Associated Press

Less than two weeks after hitting U.S. bookstores, a biography of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s co-founder Jack Ma has been pirated – and on no other platform than Alibaba’s own e-commerce marketplace, Taobao.

On Monday, bootleg versions of “Alibaba: The House that Jack Ma Built” by Duncan Clark were removed from the marketplace, the company said. These versions were for sale for 3 to 4 yuan ($0.43 to $0.61) and offered a link for downloading an electronic version of the book. In the U.S. the book retails for $17.96 on Amazon.

The English-language book, which debuted on April 12, tells the story of how Mr. Ma founded China’s largest e-commerce company. Written by longtime China internet consultant and early Alibaba investor Duncan Clark, the story reveals new information about how a foreign friendship early in life helped Mr. Ma learn English, travel to the U.S., and eventually launch an internet company.

In the first chapter, Mr. Clark addresses counterfeits on Taobao head on, writing, "Sales by merchants of pirated goods on Taobao helped boost the early popularity of the website.”

Mr. Clark, who is currently on a book tour in the U.S., responded by saying, "Meta.” He added: "Obviously there's a huge amount of interest in Jack Ma and the Alibaba story in mainland China where's he's a home-grown hero to many." Mr. Clark said a Chinese version of his book will be published in August by CITIC press, and that there will be a multi-city book tour in mainland China.

After China Real Time contacted Mr. Clark, he also posted the CITIC press announcement on his Facebook and Twitter pages and thanked Alibaba for "speedily taking down Taobao links to pirated drafts of my book. Legit Chinese version is on the way!"

An Alibaba spokesman said Taobao is “committed to the protection of intellectual property rights and the fight against counterfeiting,” adding that after the marketplace receives notification of suspicious product listings it reviews and removes those that violate the law or Alibaba’s policies. The company said it tries to review and remove suspect listings within a day.

No details were available on the identity of the merchant selling the pirated versions of the book.

Even before “Alibaba: The House that Jack Ma Built” debuted, Chinese internet users were circulating pictures from the book showing little Jack with David Morley, an Australian pen pal whose family bought Mr. Ma his first apartment. Users cited Mr. Ma’s success story as an example of why it is wise to befriend foreigners, as you never know how they may help out.

While counterfeits are an issue for most e-commerce companies, Alibaba has come under particularly harsh criticism on the issue. In January 2015, the Chinese government criticized the firm for not doing enough to combat fakes. Months later, luxury giant Kering SA, which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other brands, filed a lawsuit against Alibaba, saying it was unsatisfied by the company’s efforts to fight counterfeits.

Alibaba has said it’s taking a proactive approach to fighting fakes. Earlier this month, the company joined the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition as its first e-commerce company. “Preserving the integrity of Alibaba’s marketplaces is a top priority,” Matthew Bassiur, Vice President and Head of Global IP Enforcement at Alibaba, said in a statement announcing the move. The company has also added a handful of staffers to its Washington, D.C., office to beef up international government affairs.